


Christmas Land

by thatwriterlady



Series: 25 Days of the Holiday Season [18]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Castiel Has a Crush on Dean Winchester, Castiel asks Dean out, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Theme Park, Cute, Dean Winchester Has a Crush on Castiel, Elves, First Meetings, Fluff, Fun, M/M, SO FLUFFY, santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:20:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28291521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwriterlady/pseuds/thatwriterlady
Summary: Dean takes his daughter Emma to Christmas Land as an early Christmas present, but the last thing he expected to find was something for himself. Who knew a Christmas Theme park could make his dreams come true?
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Series: 25 Days of the Holiday Season [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2037259
Comments: 13
Kudos: 81





	Christmas Land

**Author's Note:**

> So, in retrospect I realized the last story was pretty heavy, and probably hard to swallow so close to Christmas, so I tried to make up for that with this story. It's fluffy and cute, and I hope you all enjoy it. I'll never get these all done by Christmas, but maybe by New Year's I will. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

**Dec 18th:**

**_Santa’s Little Helper~_ **

“Daddy! Look!” Emma yanked hard on her father’s hand as she dragged him towards Santa. The line was long, at least another fifteen kids all wanting to sit on the jolly fat man’s lap, and now his daughter wanted to as well. There was a lady dressed as an elf, in a green tunic with red and white striped tights and a green hat. She even had elf ears. She was greeting each new parent and their children with an amazing amount of cheeriness. As he moved up a few he could hear her trying to sell the parents pictures of their little ones with Santa. He looked down at his daughter and debated on whether he wanted that. She was eight, dressed herself and mostly took care of her own hair. Today though he’d put a headband on her and it had little bells and mistletoe. It had looked adorable in the store and he’d known it would look cute on her, so he’s forked out the eight dollars for it.

For the first time in a long time, he’d picked out her outfit today. It was a pink fleece top with matching pants, and the top had a faux fur lined hood. There was Santa on a sleigh on the front of the top and faux fur at the cuffs. She was wearing her favorite sparkly, pink, Mary Janes. If he ran his fingers through her hair she’d look absolutely adorable for a picture. Coming to Christmas Land had so far been pretty awesome but getting some pictures besides what he could take on his phone would make a nice present for his mother and brother. While he was combing his fingers through her hair and readjusting the headband the elf popped up beside him.

“Hi! Welcome to Santa’s Workshop, I’m Charlie. What’s your name?” She crouched down, putting her hands on her knees as she addressed Emma.

“Emma,” She replied

“It’s so nice to meet you, Emma, are you excited to meet Santa?”

“Uh huh,” Emma’s eyes lit up. Dean chuckled at her enthusiasm, though he thought Charlie’s might be even more enthusiastic than his daughter.

“That’s so cool!” Charlie stood up and as she faced Dean he put a hand up to stop her.

“I already heard you selling pictures. I want them. What do I get? Just a small one?”

“We have a few different packages. The pictures get printed out right here, and it takes about a half hour. It would be faster but we have  _ a lot _ of kids today.” She explained.

They quickly discussed the three different packages and he settled on one with two 5x7’s and sixteen wallets. He planned to give one of the 5x7’s to his mom. He paid for the pictures (yikes, thirty dollars!) and once Charlie had his name and had given him a ticket he focused on moving up the line, one child at a time. Emma, to her credit, was patient, but then again he’d also given her his phone so she could play Minecraft.

Finally, after twenty minutes they reached the front of the line. Dean made sure her headband was straight before taking back his phone. She stared at Santa for a moment before slowly approaching him. He scooped her up and settled her on his knee as he asked her if she’d been a good little girl that year. Emma, ever the gregarious child (she took after her father in that aspect) started talking Santa’s ear off. Dean chuckled and as his daughter told Santa what her wish was for Christmas, he took a look around. They were hitting the go carts next but he wondered what other things there were to do. As he looked to his left he spotted the photographer. The man was dressed in an elf costume too, but he was wearing pants, not tights. His dark hair was messy underneath his hat but it was his smile that really caught Dean’s attention. He was smiling at Emma, encouraging her to look at him so he could take her picture. Dean was thrilled when his daughter gave a genuine smile and not the ones she did when she was hamming it up. For sure his mother was going to love it.

When Emma was done she gave Santa a hug and hopped down. Dean had to move past the photographer to meet his daughter on the other side and he just had to get a look at more than just the man’s profile. He stopped in front of him and smiled.

“Thank you for taking such a nice picture of her, I think it’s better than her school pictures.”

The man’s smile was bright and his eyes sparkled when he looked at him.

“It’s my pleasure. She’s precious.” 

Dean stroked his daughter’s hair as he eased her to the other side so they weren’t blocking the camera.

“I’m kind of partial to her.” He winked at the man and felt his skin erupt in goose pimples when he laughed.

“I hope you enjoy your time here at Christmas Land,” He told them, his smile never wavering.

“Daddy, can we do the zipline next?” Emma was watching people, adults and kids alike zooming by overhead. He’d hoped to avoid that. He couldn’t help but eye it warily.

“It’s perfectly safe,” The photographer said. Dean looked at him and this time he noticed a name tag: Cas. “Everything here is maintained up to code and we’ve never had an accident with the zipline.”

“I’m still not too keen on it,” Dean admitted. “I’m scared of flying. That’s like flying, but without the plane. The plane might be safer.” He was half joking. Cas’ smile was warm. He was waiting for the two kids behind Emma in line to get over their fear of Santa and sit on his lap. They were currently shrieking and fighting their mother so Cas had a minute to talk. Dean didn’t want to take up his time and risk him getting fired.

“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” Cas leaned closer. “I own the park with my two brothers and my sister. Christmas Land is a family business. When I say it’s safe, I truly mean it. As long as you listen to Anna up there and let her hook your harnesses up right, you’re not going to have any issues.”

Dean trusted his words, though he wasn’t entirely sure why. He found himself nodding in acceptance.

“Ok, we’ll go do it then. Thanks, Cas.” He gave him one last smile before ushering Emma off to the zipline. The lady behind them had finally gotten her little girls onto Santa’s lap though the picture would be rough, they both had red rimmed eyes and snot on their faces that their mother wasn’t bothering to wipe away. Perhaps she knew how delicate her girls were in that moment and just touching one of them might make them start crying and trying to escape. Cas’ attention was drawn back to work so Dean and Emma slipped away, heading in the direction of the zipline.

The stairs they had to climb were ridiculously tall and he sent Emma up ahead of him so he could watch to make sure she didn’t stumble or fall. There was a line here too, not that he was surprised. It seemed like every kid here wanted to do the zipline. Emma was humming to herself as she waited her turn to move up in the line, When they finally got to the top and it was their turn Dean refused to look down. His heart was trying to beat itself out of his chest. As Emma was being fitted with a helmet and helped into the harness he tried not to let his vertigo get the best of him.

“Hello again,” Cas was suddenly at his side and he looked at the man with surprise.

“Hey, what are you doing up here?”

“I was only covering for an employee during their lunch break. I knew you had concerns. Let me show you the harnesses real quick.” Cas grabbed the one Dean would have to wear and explained the fabric, the purpose, How safely he'd be secured in it, and pointed out when the zipline had last been inspected. Three months earlier. So it was definitely up to code. Anna had a helmet ready and Cas secured it for him. He couldn’t help but stare when the man was close enough to kiss. His eyes were so blue and he smelled good too, like coconuts. It was probably his shampoo, he figured. Cas’ eyes seemed to twinkle, though now his smile was almost shy. He helped Dean into the harness and showed him how to hold on. Dean found himself relaxing marginally. He looked over at Emma who was grinning from ear to ear.

“You ready, Eddie?”

“Ready!” She exclaimed.

“Alright, here you go,” Cas gave them a gentle push and then they were whipping down the line. Dean’s heart was in his throat but his daughter’s excited laughter made his own stress justifiable. He’d be back on solid ground soon, and sure enough, less than a minute later they were at the end of the line. A man in an elf costume helped them out of their harnesses and after removing his helmet, Dean took Emma’s off. 

“That was fun!” She exclaimed as she bounced all around him excitedly.

“It wasn’t so bad,” Her father conceded. 

“Can we get something to eat? I’m hungry.” Emma asked as she took his hand.

“I’m hungry too.” He looked around and realized they were at the furthest end of the park, far away from everything else. Just as he was about to grumble about having to walk back, a train pulled up. It was cute, a little Christmas train, and everyone that had exited the zipline got on. 

He hadn’t noticed the tracks, he’d been too busy looking back towards the main area, but the train moved pretty quick. Within a minute they were right back at the base of the zipline tower, though he had to steer Emma away so she didn’t ask to go again. They found a little restaurant and he was not surprised that everything inside was Christmas themed. As soon as Emma heard she could have Santa pancakes with whipped cream and sprinkles she didn’t want anything else. He settled for a burger and fries.

They were waiting for their food, Dean reading an article on his phone while Emma colored the paper place mat she’d been given when he heard a familiar voice. He looked up to see Cas at the counter. He was ordering himself a coffee, which the shorter blonde elf behind the counter was pouring him, even as he lectured him about eating something proper. Dean didn’t even have to ask to know that was one of the brothers Cas had mentioned. They bickered just like he did with his own brother.

“Look, Daddy, it’s Santa’s workshop,” Emma turned her picture around to show him how she’d colored it in. She’d done a really good job of staying in the lines.

“It looks really good,” He looked at the little details she’d added, like some reindeer on the roof and what he assumed was snow. There wasn’t a white crayon so she’d made due with blue. Only four crayons had been provided: red, green, blue, and yellow, so the reindeer were yellow. He could tell which one was Rudolph though. “Hey, what do you think about us bringing Brandon next time? Do you think he’d like it here?”

“He’s a baby, Daddy, he can’t do all the big kid stuff,” She rolled her eyes like that was the most obvious thing in the world.

“We could bring Auntie Eileen and Uncle Sam too. There’s lots of stuff for Brandon to do. I think he’d have fun. Besides, he’s three, he’s big enough for some stuff.” He argued.

“Not the zipline, that’s for big kids.” She said. He had to stifle a laugh. She wasn’t a big kid yet but he figured in relationship to her cousin, she seemed like she was.

“Hello again,” Cas greeted them as he walked over to their table. Dean was wondering if he was deliberately popping up or if it was just coincidence. “How was the zipline?”

“Fun!” Emma exclaimed.

“I’m still alive.” Dean joked. Cas laughed, and his eyes sparkled with merriment. There wasn’t a ring on his finger but the Santa mug clutched between his hands was definitely not filled with coffee. There were giant marshmallows all around the edges and a giant peppermint stick in the middle of what looked like an entire can of whipped cream.

“I told you you’d survive,” Cas teased. “I’m glad you’re having fun.

“What’s that?” Emma’s eyes were huge as she stared at the mug. The want in her eyes made her father chuckle.

“It’s hot cocoa. I asked my brother for coffee and  _ this _ is what he gave me. He’s also making me a sandwich, I forgot to eat this morning,” Cas replied sheepishly. Dean decided to take a chance. Maybe Cas was interested in him. He hoped that was the case.

“Hey, do you want to join us?” He gestured towards one of the two remaining empty seats at their table. Cas seemed to consider it for a second before smiling and pulling the chair closest to him back so he could sit.

“Perhaps for a bit, thank you.”

“I’m Dean, by the way, this is Emma.”

“Cas, as you know,” He tapped his name tag.

“You have a pretty fun park. It’s open all year round?” Dean asked.

“It is, and we’re busy all year long. Of course the weeks leading up to Christmas are the busiest. Being that this is southern California it’s not unbearably cold in the winter. Pardon my saying so, but you don’t sound like you’re from California. Are you here on vacation?” 

“Good ear, we’re actually from Kansas. My brother lives here and after my mom moved out here to be near him and his family, I didn’t want to stay back in Kansas. So me and Em, we just moved here about three months ago. We saw an advertisement for Christmas Land and she was dying to come. If you don’t mind me saying so, it doesn’t sound like you’re from California either.” Dean said. Cas smiled and shook his head.

“That’s because I’m not. My family is from Illinois. When I was in high school my dad moved the family out here. He’d gotten an inheritance when his mother died and he used it to open up Christmas Land. When he died, it was willed to myself and my siblings. We’re equal partners and we love it here. My brother Gabe, which is the elf behind the counter, he went to culinary school, and as a result, there are some amazing dishes on the menu. He’s a big kid at heart though,” Cas nodded towards the pancakes that were set down in front of Emma. "The Santa pancakes were his idea." Dean thanked their server when she set the burger down in front of him but his eyes widened when a mug much the same as the one Cas was currently nursing was also set down before him.

“Uh, what’s this?”

“My guess? A gift from my brother,” Cas looked over his shoulder in time to see Gabe giving him a double thumbs up, and a wink. It made his cheeks redden.

“Can I have some, Daddy?” Emma stole a marshmallow before he could argue.

“That’s a lot of sugar, baby doll.” He worried she’d make herself sick.

“It’s a once in a while thing, right? I’m sure she doesn’t get Santa pancakes and hot cocoa all at once at home. Besides, the hat and buttons are made of strawberries. She doesn’t need the syrup if she doesn’t want it,” Cas looked at Emma who had finished off the marshmallow in record time and was now stuffing her face full of pancake, minus the syrup.

“They’re so good,” She said once she swallowed. “I don’t need syrup.”

“Ok then,” Dean conceded. “But eat your food first.”

She nodded and ate another bite of her pancakes.

“This place is better than I’d expected. I saw the ad and asked my brother about it. He said he and Eileen took their nephew here a few years back, before their son was born. Eileen’s brother has three boys but the only one that was old enough to enjoy a place like this at that time was Declan. He’s twelve now but I think they took him when he was Emma’s age, or around it. Sam talked about how much fun they had. You have an ice skating rink here too, he told me. How do you keep that cold in this warm weather? Is it indoors?”

“It is,” Cas nodded. “And the floor is kept cold from underneath. People love getting to ice skate all year long. That is something that draws people in a lot of the time.”

“Can we skate too, Daddy?” Emma asked. Dean was taking a sip of his hot cocoa but he nodded. The cocoa was the best he’d ever tasted.

“I’ll show you where it is if you like,” Cas offered. His cheeks reddened further. Dean was positive now that the man liked him.

“Sure. It sounds fun. After that we’ll do the go carts.”

“This place is awesome!” Emma cried. Cas and her father both laughed.

“Never thought I’d visit a theme park that didn’t have five hundred roller coasters. You make this place fun without them. Coming here, it was an early Christmas present for Emma. I think she loves it.” Dean looked at his daughter who was nodding enthusiastically.

“I want to come back. Can we come back?” She begged.

“I’ll talk to Uncle Sam and Auntie Eileen, see if they want to come with. Maybe Grandma will come too. I bet she’ll even do the zipline with you.” His mother was adventurous that way.

“Her mother won’t come?” Cas asked.

“My mom left when born. I only saw pictures of her,” Emma said before her father could say something. “Daddy said she wasn’t ready to be a mom, so she gave me to him. He has full custody. That means only he gets to have me, even if my mom came back. I don’t want her to come back. My daddy is the bestest dad in the whole, wide, world."

“That’s what I thought about my dad too,” Cas smiled at the little girl. “He did all sorts of stuff with us when we were growing up and when he opened up this place, I was fourteen, but I had so much fun here. So did my brothers and my sister. This is our happy place. We all love Christmas very much. I have lots of nieces and nephews and the older ones all love working here.”

“No kids of your own?” Dean asked. Cas smiled shyly at him and shook his head.

“No, not yet. I haven’t found the right man yet.”

Dean’s gaydar was spot on. 

“You should go on a date with my Daddy. He’s lonely.” Emma said very matter of factly. Dean’s jaw dropped while Cas laughed.

“I am  _ not _ lonely!” Dean argued.

“Yes you are. You just watch TV or play with me. You need a husband so you can have fun. Then you can give me back all my Legos.” She pointed at him and it was like looking in a mirror. Her stubbornness matched his own. He couldn’t be angry at her, not when she was right. He really did love the Legos though.

“Would you like to go out sometime?” Cas asked. “I promise I’ll wear something other than my elf costume.” He teased. Dean laughed and nodded.

“That would be nice. When were you thinking?”

“Tomorrow night?” Cas pulled his phone out. “Give me your number.”

Dean gave it before going back to finish off his burger. Damn, it was good, better than the ones his aunt made at the Roadhouse, though he’d  _ never _ tell her that. Cas' sandwich had been delivered and he ate that quickly.

“That’s what I asked Santa for,” Emma said as she pulled the mug of hot cocoa closer and got up on her knees so she was tall enough to take a sip. “I asked him for a boyfriend for you. He said he was surprised I didn’t want toys. So I asked for some Barbies too. But yeah, that’s what I want.”

Dean’s throat tightened and he tried not to cry. Was he so lonely that even his child noticed? He tried to always be happy around her.

“That’s a very selfless thing to do,” Cas told her. “You’re a very good little girl to ask Santa for something that’s not for yourself. That’s what selfless means. Not a lot of kids your age are. I bet Santa brings you those Barbies.” He looked at Dean who very subtly nodded. Yeah, she was getting the dolls  _ and _ a house for them. Barbie was going to be living in luxury. 

They finished their food and after Dean paid, Cas led them to the skating rink. He even put on a pair of skates and joined them. It was by far the best afternoon Dean had experienced in years. Who’d have known Christmas Land would make his wishes come true too?


End file.
